Are these a pure population in Europe? Did they stem from a specific import or many? Any idea of how many founders?
A win for the landscape! Budapest Zoo To Get HUF 25 Billion In Government Support For Large-Scale Expansion - Hungary Today
Elephant Odyssey, Part Deux (or Ket)? An expensive complex based on animals from prehistoric times...hmmm.
No one seems to have remarked yet about the arrival of Earless Monitors (Lanthanotus borneensis) at Budapest. It must be several decades since this species was last seen in a European zoo.
Great news about the Earless monitors ! Only Frankfurt kept this species before ( in the 1960-ties ). At Frankfurt they proofed to be difficult eaters and first only accepted pieces of Plaice ( other fish was tried but refused ). One specimen changed it appetite after 7 years at Frankfurt, it started to eat earthwurms ! I guess I'd read somewhere the species was also kept at several American zoos, however not sure about that.
Found this very intresting report about the illigal trade in Earless monitors : http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_reptiles37.pdf
Just came home from a visit to Budapest, and was told that the Koalas will be on show from 5th of March.
I'll be visiting later this month, so I'm glad I'll be able to see the koalas. Are the earless monitors on public display?
I don't know - I sent the zoo an email asking about these lizards (in English, since I don't speak Hungarian) but have had no reply. As it's a burrowing species, it probably wouldn't make a great public exhibit.
I just caught up with this news - Bornean earless monitors are brilliant news. Anything further on them? If I am reading Zootierliste correctly they arrived in November last year?